Month: July 2010

This past week, I had the distinct pleasure to join 26 brother bishops for some continuing formation. We gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina for a program; Instinctive Leadership Behaviors, Developed Values, and Versatility as a Shepherding Bishop. The program is one of several such leadership development courses offered by Catholic Leadership Institute. This organization was founded in 1990 by a Catholic business man, Mr. Tim Flanagan. Tim had a deep desire to use his own gifts for leadership and his passion and love for the church to enhance the leadership skills of Church leaders. Initially, […]

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I had the opportunity to fly fish the 22nd of July on the North Fork of the Shoshone River in NW Wyoming. The trip was courtesy of Fr. Glen Szczechowski and parishioner from St. Barbara, Mr. Bruce Bourquin. As with most things, the pictures tell the story! The photos are courtesy of Fr. Glen. We had a great day of fishing. The river was running pretty fast yet from the spring run off in the mountains, and along about 11:00 the wind really picked up. Not the best […]

The invitation to prayer continues with today’s Sunday readings. First, we see Abraham in conversation (prayer) with God, interceding on behalf of the population of that sinful city, Sodom. (Genesis 18:20-32) Abraham is quite comfortable in this dialogue with God, imploring God to reveal His justice through restraining his wrath on behalf of the few innocent people who may reside in Sodom. Of course, as one reads on further from today’s portion of Genesis, we see that God provides for the exit of the innocent prior to the destruction of the city and all within. […]

Today’s Gospel antiphon quotes the Letter of St. James, (1:21) : ” Humbly welcome the WORD that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.” This reminds me of the recent words of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI when he spoke last Sunday during the Angelus from his balcony at Castelgandolfo: “The words of Christ are very clear: they show no disdain for an active life, or for generous hospitality, but contain an evident reference to the fact that what is truly necessary is something else: to listen to the Word […]

The people of Powell, Wyoming are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their parish, St. Barbara. There is quite a bit of excitement on such an occasion. Fr. Glenn Szczechowski, the present pastor is a gracious host to this bishop when he shows up, and is doing a fine job of continuing to nourish the faith of this Catholic community. He is also known as a skilled fly fisherman! I hope on Thursday to learn some of his tricks on a fly fishing trip on the North Fork of the Shoshone River. As with many other such […]

This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings. As the bow appears in the […]

The Wyoming Catholic Ministries Foundation may well be the best (unintentionally) kept secret in our Diocese. Chartered in 1994, the WCMF was put together for the “…purpose of supporting the religious, charitable, ministerial and educational programs of the Roman Catholic Church in the State of Wyoming….” That was taken from the bylaws of the Foundation, and it is followed by some more jargon that satisfies the lawyers. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really tell us much about why this Foundation is so important. The structure of the WCMF is like many foundations, in that it is run […]

While visiting Indiana near the end of June, I had a rather distinct privilege. 50 years ago, my uncle, Rev. Bernard Voges married a young couple at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Indianapolis. This couple was Ron & Lois Kramer. Ron & Lois have four children, Karen (Sahm), Mike, Dick and Bob. They also have numerous grandchildren. My Uncle, Fr. Bernie, died in 1980. When I was ordained in 1992, my first assignment was St. Barnabas on the south side of Indianapolis. It was here that I met Karen and her husband, Mike. […]

Yesterday, we commemorated the 170th anniversary of the first Mass ever (documented) celebrated in the state of Wyoming, and more than likely, in the Rocky Mountain region. That Mass was celebrated July 5, 1840 in conjunction with the Rendezvous celebration of the early mountain men in the Green River Valley. Fr. Pierre De Smet was a Jesuit priest, missionary. He was born in Belgium and came to the US as a seminarian (1821) to continue his studies towards priesthood. His father was a ship owner, and was quite wealthy. The young Pierre De Smet was intrigued […]

As you can tell, the blog activity has slacked off recently. Mostly, this is due to this bishop’s summer slow down. I’ll try to be a bit more frequent again soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures from a recent visit to one of my former parishes as “Fr. Paul”. I was back in Indiana for a week the end of June, and celebrated Mass at St. John the Evangelist in downtown Indianapolis. Ironically, this was the same weekend I said “goodbye” as their pastor one year ago. No one would have guessed then […]

Welcome to my blog, and thanks for visiting! I became the 4th Archbishop of Anchorage on November 9, 2016 after 7 years as the Bishop of Cheyenne and many more as a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianpolis.

Preaching is a priority for my episcopal ministry, and this blog is my humble effort to engage the New Evangelization and to serve you, God’s holy, faithful people! Enjoy your visit, and together, may we grow in truth and love.